


The One Where They Aren't Soulmates

by rinthegreat



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Mild Angst, Post Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-02 05:25:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18804610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinthegreat/pseuds/rinthegreat
Summary: Rin’s always been a romantic. As a guy raised by two bonded parents, that isn’t much of a surprise. He’d grown up believing that there would be one person out there who would understand him. Love him even.---MakoRin





	The One Where They Aren't Soulmates

**Author's Note:**

> I finally get to post this! This was written for the Across Oceans zine, which was themed after soulmates. You can guess what happens based on the title. ;)
> 
> Many thanks to thislittlekumquat again for betaing!

Rin’s always been a romantic. As a guy raised by two bonded parents, that isn’t much of a surprise. He’d grown up believing that there would be one person out there who would understand him. Love him even.

When he turns eleven, he thinks for sure he’s found that person. Rin’s heart pounds against his chest as he watches them swim, beating to a theme of _ah, I found them_. But the light is never lit inside his heart. The fire that burns is one of competition.

And later, friendship.

Time passes, and Rin forgets about his soulmate. Swimming becomes his sole focus, taking him away to Australia. But he’s weighed down under the pressure of not being good enough, and nearly drowns in the sea of his dream. When he finally returns to Iwatobi, he’s changed. The romantic Rin who had transferred schools to swim with one person is still there, but he’s buried under failures and setbacks from his time abroad.

He’ll never fully be over the suffering he put himself through by forcing himself to dive into something he’d been unprepared for. But with the help of his old friends along with the new ones at Samezuka, Rin manages to piece himself back into something he’s not ashamed to see in the mirror. He smiles more, happy more often than not.

And with this happiness comes something else.

Rin finds himself drawn to green eyes and a gentle smile. To patience and kindness. To someone who forgives him faster than he can forgive himself.

Makoto.

“Rin,” Makoto confesses under the cherry blossom tree. The leaves have already turned, a few of them scattered on the ground between them. “I’ve admired you for a long time, and I was wondering…if you want…” What confidence Makoto had conjured visibly disappears, leaving Rin to pick up the threads.

“Are you confessing to me?” Rin asks, not daring to hope.

Makoto flushes, but his gaze never falters. “I am.”

There’s so little time until graduation, and they both know that Rin has no plans to stay in Japan afterwards. And yet, Makoto had decided to ask. So Rin takes the leap.

“I’d like to go to dinner with you,” Rin responds easily. Makoto’s smile, when it appears, is as soft as the one which had first caused Rin’s heart to beat too fast.

Being with Makoto is remarkably easy. They have enough similar interests that Rin never feels as though he’s forcing conversation between them. They’re good for each other. Makoto reigns in some of Rin’s more chaotic tendencies while Rin encourages Makoto to break out of his shell and try new things.

The awkward moments they have are few and far between, and Rin finds himself liking Makoto more and more every day. He’s in real danger of falling into something he’s too afraid to name.

Their relationship merges easily into both of their lives. They study together, Makoto joins Rin during his extra training, and Rin helps Makoto babysit when the Makoto’s parents go on vacation. Together, they travel to Tokyo to pick out an apartment for Makoto before he leaves for college. As much as Rin would like to do the same, another spontaneous flight to Australia is unrealistic. So instead they content themselves with looking at pictures of Rin’s apartment online.

Rin’s departure to Australia looms over their heads like a time bomb, ticking down until they’re finally standing in the airport. Sousuke and Haru are there along with Makoto and, of course, Rin’s family. Surprisingly it’s Haru who relieves the tension.

“It’ll be different this time,” he declares. “Won’t it?”

Rin looks to Makoto first who grants him a gentle smile then to Sousuke, who has already demanded that he _write back this time_ more than once. “’Course it will,” he agrees easily. He knows what to expect on the other side of the ocean this time; he has clear goals and a better sense of his ability than he had before.

“Then there’s no need to worry,” Haru declares, glancing meaningfully at Makoto. He and Sousuke step aside, speaking with Rin’s mother and Gou to give him and Makoto a moment of privacy.

“I wrote this,” Makoto murmurs, pressing a thick envelope into Rin’s hand. “So write back to me.”

“I’ll call you all the time,” Rin promises.

Makoto chuckles. “Concentrate on your training.”

“I can do both.”

They’re in public, and Rin’s family is standing less than five feet away. Regardless, Makoto takes a risk and leans in, pressing his lips to Rin’s cheek. “Don’t forget about me,” he whispers before stepping back.

 _As if I ever could._ The thought crosses his mind, but Rin’s throat sticks at the words until all he can do is nod.

Rin can claim all he wants that he doesn’t need a heartfelt farewell, but the minute he disappears into security with Makoto’s first letter weighing heavily in his hand, he’s glad they all came. Because in reality, he’s not sure when he’ll be able to come back.

The trip to Australia is bittersweet, but Rin falls into his new life well enough. He becomes friends with his teammates and starts the habit of keeping in contact with Makoto early.

It isn’t until his classes start that Rin remembers his childhood search for The One. College students here are much more open about it than he’s used to, frequently asking each other if their own lights have been lit or if they’re still searching. Rin’s invited to ‘soul parties’, but he declines every time. His search, which had once seemed so important, now pales in the face of his relationship with Makoto.

He does, however, worry.

“Makoto,” Rin asks one night over video chat. Most of his teammates are at yet another soul party, but Rin’s in his apartment instead, taking advantage of the alone time to talk to Makoto. “Do you know who your soulmate is?”

Makoto goes very still. “Why?” he asks carefully. “Do you?”

The thing about dating Makoto is that Rin’s learned to decipher the slight ticks in his facial expressions. The minute changes that reveal more about his emotions than his words do.

And this one is worryingly suspicious.

Rin rethinks his next question before asking just as carefully as Makoto, “Would you want to be with them, if you did?”

“Rin.” The voice Makoto uses isn’t exasperated, but it’s different from his usual fond tone. This is something new, something Rin’s never heard before. “I will never pressure you to answer my letter,” Makoto continues. “But I think that should be explanation enough.”

Rin’s emailed, texted, messaged, called, video chatted, and even sent snail mail to Makoto since arriving. But there’s one part of the seven-page letter Makoto had given him in the airport which Rin’s never responded to. One section that’s always in the back of Rin’s mind.

He has an answer, but he’s afraid to say it.

“Having a soulmate doesn’t change my mind,” Makoto declares softly. “It never will.”

And that’s the end of that.

Except…it isn’t.

Rin’s at a multi-collegiate meet in Melbourne when it happens. He makes eye contact with a guy lining up behind the blocks and his chest ignites.

It’s different than when he first saw Haru swim and thought _this is him_. It’s different than the swell he feels when he thinks about Makoto. This is something strange, something unique, and the only word Rin can use for it is:

Light.

The guy’s eyes widen, mouth dropping open in a wide ‘o’ before the whistle blows. The guy continues staring at Rin until one of his teammates taps him on the shoulder and he pulls his goggles over his eyes, climbing up on the blocks.

He – Rin refuses to think of what he is – becomes focused the moment “Take your marks” sounds out across the natatorium.

Watching the race is unsettling in a way that Rin’s unprepared for; he knows how the other swimmer is feeling about each length of the race with an intimacy he shouldn’t. And when the race is over and he looks up at the scoreboard, satisfaction is written all over his face.

Rin’s never seen him before in his life, but he knows it’s a season’s best time.

A tap on Rin’s shoulder makes Rin jump, and he turns to see one of his teammates staring at him, concerned. “Rin?”

“I need to do…something,” Rin stutters, stumbling away, unable to come up with a good enough excuse.

He rushes immediately into the locker room and douses himself in a cold shower. He needs something to stop the burning in his chest.

It doesn’t work.

Part of him wants to pretend he’d never made eye contact with him. He’s more than content in his relationship with Makoto. He’s happier with Makoto than he has been in any other part of his life. He wants to pretend like the past few minutes never even happened.

But he’s not given that chance.

“Rin Matsuoka, right?” a voice he shouldn’t know asks.

Rin turns slowly, dread pooling in his stomach. Without the University of Melbourne swim cap on his head, the guy’s light brown hair sticks out from his head at strange angles. He’s big, broader than Rin in the shoulders with pecs so clearly defined, Rin has to forcibly tear his eyes away.

He’s incredibly attractive and yet his eyes aren’t the shade Rin wants to see right now.

The light ignites in his chest the minute their gazes meet, and Rin’s forced to face the reality that he met his soulmate a year too late. “Yeah,” Rin replies in careful English.

“I think I’m your soulmate.”

“I think you are too,” Rin agrees slowly.

“I was wondering if you wanted to grab dinner? Maybe talk?” the guy asks.

It’s exactly what Rin had been dreading.

“I have someone,” he blurts out. It’s rude, it’s uncalled for, and this guy – his soulmate – doesn’t deserve this. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes immediately.

The other swimmer is clearly taken aback by the outburst. His smile, which had only added to his attractive quality, slips. “Ah,” he says. “I was wondering if that’s why you were trying to hide.” Rin doesn’t ask, doesn’t need to ask, how his soulmate knew he was hiding.

“I’m sorry,” Rin repeats.

The guy shakes his head. “It happens. The older we got the more likely it was going to end this way.” He’s playing it off as if it’s not a big deal, but Rin can see how disappointed he is. He knows it as well as he knows his own feelings. “But hey,” his soulmate continues. “Maybe in another life, huh?”

“Maybe,” Rin agrees, though he can’t bring himself to mean the words.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you around,” his soulmate excuses himself, leaving Rin to his thoughts. Happy isn’t the right term to describe what he’s feeling. Not quite. He’s relieved that his soulmate didn’t push it, but there’s a hint of regret settling deep in his stomach. It isn’t powerful enough to make him run after the other swimmer and ask for his name though. Maybe, like the guy said, in another life.

Rin calls Makoto that night.

“Rin?” Makoto asks as soon as he answers. His eyes are puffy from lack of sleep, no doubt because he stayed up late studying again. “Didn’t you have a meet?”

“I did. But…Makoto…” A lump forms in Rin’s throat, preventing the words from escaping.

_Having a soulmate doesn’t change my mind at all._

“You’re right,” he says finally. Makoto frowns at him, confusion etching itself across his face. “Having a soulmate doesn’t change my mind.” Makoto’s face sharpens, sleep dropping away.

There’s nothing holding him back anymore, no lingering doubts preventing him from responding to the letter Makoto had given to him almost a year ago now. So finally, Rin opens his mouth and confesses.

**Author's Note:**

> There's art! Click [here](https://twitter.com/kashdraws/status/1127659867508965378) to see it!
> 
> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rinthegreat_ao3) or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/rinthegreat/)


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